Gyorko returns after 44-game absence

Padres second baseman back in lineup after bout with plantar fasciitis

Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko gets loose outside the batting cage during pre game activities before a baseball against the Colorado Rockies Monday, April 14, 2014, in San Diego. Gyorko received a contract extension from the Padres on Monday that runs through the 2019 season with a club option for 2020.
— (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko gets loose outside the batting cage during pre game activities before a baseball against the Colorado Rockies Monday, April 14, 2014, in San Diego. Gyorko received a contract extension from the Padres on Monday that runs through the 2019 season with a club option for 2020.
/ (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

ATLANTA  Minus Chase Headley, the Padres’ original starting infield has gradually begun to reassemble. On Saturday, first baseman Yonder Alonso came off the disabled list, after a bout with right wrist tendinitis. On Monday, Jedd Gyorko returned.

After missing 44 games because of plantar fasciitis, Gyorko started at second base and batted seventh, eager to further distance himself from a dismal start to his season.

“I think my swing is feeling more like it did last year,” said Gyorko, who batted just .162 with five home runs in his first 56 games this season. “Hopefully that translates into the big leagues now. I’ve just got to go out there and not worry about what’s happened in the past. We’ve got two months of baseball left. That’s what I’m gonna look forward to.”

To clear a roster spot for Gyorko, the Padres optioned infielder Brooks Conrad back

Gyorko landed there June 6, retroactive to two days earlier, with the same kind of inflammation that wiped out most of infielder Logan Forsythe’s season with the Padres last year. Gyorko’s case was not nearly as severe, though his initial attempt to shed the cast and walking boot on his left foot proved unsuccessful.

He did eventually shake free of the necessary impediments, beginning a rehab assignment July 19 with Triple-A El Paso, where he would go 7-for-24 with a home run while appearing in six games at second. Just prior to that stint, he spent a few days working out at the Padres’ spring training facility in Arizona.

“When I was out there running around, I knew I was feeling pretty good,” Gyorko said. “If you can run in Arizona, you can run anywhere. … I felt good, so things are looking good. I think we’re past it.”

Whether he’s past his mighty struggles on offense remains to be seen. Entering Monday, Gyorko’s .480 OPS ranked last among major league second basemen with at least 200 at-bats.

He said before the game that he had been focusing on the mental side of the game, more so than on physically overhauling his swing.

“I’m just gonna try to hit the ball hard,” he said. “If you hit the ball hard enough times, good things will happen eventually.”

The hope, of course, would be the uptick to occur sooner than later. Noting that Gyorko had hit at every level he’d played, including during his 23-homer rookie season, the Padres signed the 25-year-old to a $35-million extension in April.

The early returns have been disappointing.

“He swung the bat well (on his rehab assignment). Hopefully he can continue that here,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “He’s got a long way to go to get his lifetime average. It’s why we play. He can play better.”

To clear a roster spot for Gyorko, the Padres optioned infielder Brooks Conrad back to El Paso. In 13 games with the Padres, Conrad went 3-for-30 with a home run.

Solarte at third

Infielder Yangervis Solarte made his first start with the Padres at third, where he’ll likely see most of his time with Gyorko off the DL.

Solarte, whom the Padres acquired from the Yankees in last week’s trade of Chase Headley, had made five starts at second for San Diego, largely because Chris Nelson appears more comfortable playing third. Entering Monday, Solarte was hitting .333 with a home run in 21 at-bats for his new team.

“It’s a good sign,” Black said. “He’s trying to make his mark.”

Notable

Right-hander Andrew Cashner (shoulder) will throw another bullpen session Tuesday at Petco Park. Cashner threw off a mound Saturday for the first time since June 18. There is of yet no timetable for his return from the DL.

Right-hander Ian Kennedy, who was scratched from Monday’s start with a mild left oblique strain, will likely throw a side session Wednesday, which would put him on track to start Saturday against the Braves at Petco Park.